The two were joined by McCallie Coach (emeritus) Gordon Connell, local wrestling instructor Tony Rowland, Angelo Giansante and Mike Kuziola.

All six are former MTSU wrestlers or coaches, either during the NCAA program era (1974-80) or during the current National Collegiate Wrestling Association era that began in 2000.

“The MTSU Wrestling Foundation is excited to have these six men comprise our inaugural class as they have played an important part in the success of MTSU wrestling over the years,” said Bryan Knepper, current Blue Raiders coach.

Knepper was joined in presenting the inductees with plaques and team jerseys by current MTSU freshman Eric Feuerbacher, a Tennessee high school state champion last season at Blackman.

Connell spent six seasons (1975-80) as coach at MTSU, coaching 27 Southern region medalists and three NCAA qualifiers. He also won 14 state dual and traditional state championships coaching at Hixson and McCallie.

Giansante, a 1997 state champion at La Vergne, was a two-time NCWA all-American and finished second nationally in 2002 and sixth in ’05.

Kuziola was a two-time Southern champion and was named the outstanding wrestler of the 1978 Southern tournament, along with placing second at the 1980 NCAA regional tournament. He posted 100 career wins at MTSU.

Rowland, a state qualifier at Maplewood, was a two-time NCAA qualifier — at MTSU in 1980 and at Nevada-Las Vegas in 1981 — and a two-time region champion. He also qualified for the Olympics in 1980 and’84.

Frank Simpson was a four-year letterwinner at MTSU and was team captain in 1979. He placed fourth in the ’78 NCAA regional and fourth in the ’79 Southern tournament, before serving as an assistant in 1980. As a high school coach at Kirby, Bishop Byrne, Hendersonville and MBA he has more than 400 career wins.

Pat Simpson won a Southern tournament title and outstanding wrestler honors in 1979 as well as a Western region title to qualify for the NCAA nationals. He was a state runner up at Ryan, and returned to his alma mater to win 14 state duals and traditional championships as coach.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/high-school-sports/2012/02/22/local-coaches-enter-mtsu-wrestling-hall-of-fame/feed/0Brentwood Academy’s King a fast moverhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/high-school-sports/2010/04/15/brentwood-academys-king-a-fast-mover/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/high-school-sports/2010/04/15/brentwood-academys-king-a-fast-mover/#commentsThu, 15 Apr 2010 13:54:16 +0000Maurice Pattonhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/high-school-sports/?p=551It didn’t take Derek King long to show why he’s such a prized football recruit.

About 10.68 seconds, actually.

That’s the blazing 100-meter time that the 5-11, 185-pound Brentwood Academy junior posted Tuesday at The Great Eight track meet on the Vanderbilt campus — a personal best, in his return from a recent hamstring pull — winning that event by more than two-tenths of a second over Hunters Lane’s Jaz Davis (a Memphis track signee) and Ravenwood’s Tony Rowland.

Coming off a fall in which he compiled more than 1,000 all-purpose yards, nine touchdowns, 45 tackles and an interception while seeing time at receiver, cornerback and returner, King’s combination of speed and power on the gridiron has resulted in scholarship offers from Tennessee and Vanderbilt — among others.

“Auburn, Ole Miss, Western Kentucky, Louisville, Middle Tennessee State,” King said when asked about other offers, while confirming he has received interest but no firm offer from Alabama.

Though he wouldn’t commit to a preferred side of the ball, King did indicate that where teams projected him would impact his decision.

“I’ve got to look at that,” he said. “I’ve played both sides since I was little. I like the ball in my hands. I like making plays. Hopefully, I can do that.”